GhostOfClayton

I go to www.romanarmy.com for that.

I've remembered what it's called now - 'Caerwent'. I knew it'd come to me in the end ! Seriously though, thanks for that, Sonic. Have you been? Any good?

Welcome to UNRV EoYP. What's your interest in the Romans?

I suspected that was the case with the Antonine Wall. Of the sites I mentioned, only Castle Nick is inaccessible from the road. Willowford Crossing is just less than a Roman mile down a very good track, (and Chollerford Crossing is less than that down a good footpath.) The rest are within 100m of the road. Nothing like the climb up to Housesteads, fortunately. The trouble with Roman sites is that they're not nicely housed close together once you get away from the wall. The only other possibility I thought of, and again I know nothing about it, is (are?) the Saxon Shore Defences. Anyone know if there's much to see down there? Caerleon (http://www.caerleon.net/intro/) also has a few bits and bobs close together by the looks of it. On top of Caerleon and the Saxon Shore, I have a little list of sites I'd quite like to visit one day, but to my knowledge, they're just one site with nothing else in the area. Silchester Maryport (http://www.senhousemuseum.co.uk/) Coventry (Lunt Fort) I'm sure I remember there's another good one in South Wales, but I can't bring to mind what it's called If we did London, would there be much to see? All I know of is the mithraeum at Temple, a bit of wall near Tower Bridge tube station, and some excellent stuff at the Museum of London.

Count me in, AC. How far along Hadrian's Wall did you get? Housesteads, if memory serves. What about Haltwhsitle (or even Carlisle) as a base, and visiting Carvoran, Birdoswald, Willowford Crossing, Castle Nick, Poltross Burn MC, Pike Hill signal tower, Hare Hill, etc. If Carlisle, maybe even Tullie House? Anyone on the way home could even do Chollerford Bridge? Is there much along the Antonine Wall, does anyone know?

I hate to say this, Neoflash, but I think you're being very hard on Mr. Harris, there. 'Imperium' doesn't have the pace and, well, sheer adventure of 'Pompeii', but you've got to admire the man for his research, and ability to spin a very detailed, enjoyable and readable yarn around the established facts. I wouldn't hesitate to give it four-and-a-half stars, and if I hadn't read 'Pompeii' first, would've probably gone the whole hog with 5/5.

How about "the use of military action to force their rule of law, way of life, values, etc. on almost a fifth of the world's population, (predominantly against their will)." It's not the sort of thing you're after, really, is it? So how about Betar. The Jerusalem Talmud relates that the numbers slain were enormous, that the Romans "went on killing until their horses were submerged in blood to their nostrils". This obviously comes under 'Body Count', but the worst part of the cruelty was the aim to eradicate an established religious belief.

Hopefully, this should be a quick one to pin. I remember (a couple of years ago) doing a bit of Googling/surfing/Wiki-ing, and stumbling across a tourist attraction somewhere in the US consisting of a life-size replica Roman Fort. No offence to our friends for His Majesty's Thirteen Former Colonies, but it seemed an unusual place to find such a thing. I looked on Google Earth and sure enough, there it was; large as life. The thing is, I can't seem to find it anymore. Was it just a dream, or does anyone know of it? If so, has anyone visited? If so, what's it like?

Could I maybe widen the topic a little (and perhaps show off a little of my significant ignorance of the subject)? I can't help thinking that some of the Mithraic Temples which have been unearthed (for example the one at Procolitia/Brocolitia) seem to have significantly influenced the structure of Paleo-Christian churches (for example St Paul in the Bail in Lincoln). I seem to remember QI doing a piece on the similarities between Mithraism and Christianity, eluding to the fact that the one (Christianity) was significantly influenced by the (much earlier) other. I'd welcome comments from someone who knows more than just a few interesting facts to wow the tourists.

I have Caligula (the film) on DVD. Undoubtedly it is pretty tacky. However, the 'scenes of an adult nature' are tame compared to some of the stuff on HBO's Rome series, which was shown on Auntie BEEB. Once you dismiss some of the tackier *or* scenes, there's quite a surprising helping of historical accuracy. And don't forget, it did have Malcolm McDowell, John Gielgud, Peter O'Toole and Helen Mirren. So I would say, do watch it, and try to look past the tackier elements. Then at least you can compare and contrast with the relevant episodes of I, Claudius.

Gluteus Maximus.

Is there a tentative parallel in the way the BNP seem to hero worship Boudica for giving the Roman Invaders a good kick where it hurts (Colchester)? Does anyone else see the irony that the ancestors of the (presumably predominantly Anglo-Saxon) BNP where likely the ones that kicked Boudica's Celtic descendants out of the country?

Hi Erik, I just checked, and I still have it on my HDD. Send me a personal message, and I'll see what I can do to get it to you. Cheers.

Hi Erik, I just checked, and I still have it on my HDD. Send me a personal message, and I'll see what I can do to get it to you. Cheers.

I'm from a sleepy little village called Alkborough in North Lincolnshire. If you follow Ermine Street up from Lindum (Lincoln), it ends at the Abus Fluvius (Humber Estuary) at a village called Winteringham (thought to be 'Ad Abum'). You will find Alkborough a few miles to the west. Alkborough was thought to have a Roman past by none other than Wiliam Stukeley. In his

I recently finished Collingwood-Bruce's "Handbook to the Roman Wall" (the most recent edition, by David Breeze). Very dry, acedemic - possibly better for reference than reading cover-to-cover. I'm now about to embark on 'Dawn of the Dumb' by Charlie Brooker (click here). I challenge you to find two more dissimilar books, and yet I can't help thinking both would be widely appreciated by this forum's members.

I really enjoyed Gladiator. Obviously there were glaring inaccuracies, but they wouldn't mean much to most movie-goers. And, admit it, I bet you learned an awful lot just by looking up the inaccuries on Wikipedia. I, for one, learned all about Cincinnatus.

There was a very interesting documentary on E4 the other night. 'Attila & the Empire of the Huns'. Have a look at "www.channel4.com/programmes/attila-and-the-empire-of-the-huns". "In 451 Attila the Hun set off on a war of total destruction that could have spelt the end of much of what has since become European heritage. He swept through Germany and France, and a year later was poised to invade Italy. This film explores the major events that turned the tide on Attila when he was on the brink of victory over the most powerful countries in Western Europe, from his surprise settlement with the fledgling Pope, to his sudden death from an apparent nosebleed in bed with his new wife." You might catch it on 4oD (facility to watch some Channel 4 programs on-line), though I'm not sure if it works outside the UK.

Funny you should mention the "All Roads lead to Rome" feature. I missed the first couple of episodes of Series 1 when it was first broadcast on the BEEB, so I deliberately didn't watch the rest, thinking I'd catch it when it was repeated. As the months and years rolled by, I gradually realised that Auntie doesn't repeat that sort of thing any more, as it would affect the DVD sales. So last week, I bought it. I burned quite a few litres of midnight oil watching it and enjoying it thouroughly. I briefly turned on the "All Roads Lead to Rome" feature, but found it distracting to my enjoyment of the drama itself, so turned it off. Now I'm looking forward to re-watching with the feature switched on (more midnight oil, I fear!) And yes, I have ordered Series 2. I was interested to find that Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo are based (albeit very loosely) on real characters. Apparently they were mentioned both by Julius Ceasar in Commentarii de Bello Gallico, and also on Wikipedia (so it must be true!) A good scene-setter for Rome is Imperium by Robert Harris. Augusta, you liked the Cicero portrayal in Rome. Have you read Imperium? I'd be interested to know how well you thought the two characterisations jelled with one-another. I thought he came across as a tad too perfect in Imperium, whereas Rome showed him 'warts & all'.

Itinerary - to be posted later Please note that I'm now away for a fortnight, so if I go quiet until the 10th August, don't worry unduly.

Leave the day time itinerary to me. Weather permitting, I'll probably do all the free stuff (which is pretty much all the Roman stuff) on the Saturday. That leaves us to do things like the Castle, Cathedral, Bishop's Palace etc., on the Sunday, and people can drop out if they need trains etc. It can be made pretty flexible. If anyone is planning on venturing here from abroad, it's easy to reach from Humberside Aiport (regular flights from Skipol), and not too difficult from Hull (overnight ferry from Rotterdam or Zeebrugge). In an attempt to keep the costs low, can I suggest we use the Holiday Inn Express? That way, it should be able to accomodate us all, and we can book ourselves in online. Cost is likely to be

There're plenty of hotel choices. There's the usual crop of Holiday Inn Express, Ibis, Premier Inn, Travelodge, etc. The only one of those within walking distance of the city is Holiday Inn Express. There're a number of more pricey hotels in the city centre. There're also plenty of reasonable B&Bs, but (obviously depending on numbers) they are less likely to fit us all in the same establishment.

Uh Oh. I really didn't notice this thread when I started mine (haven't quite got the hang of this World Wide Web thingy since they put it on computers). I was pleased to see the Verulamium planning had gone so far. Weekend of 26th September is OK for me, so would love to come along, if that's OK with you guys. Ignore my Lindum suggestion (though the offer is always there if you fancy it.) By the way, AC. Long time no speak. Very sorry to hear about the job situation - has it improved? I'll be coming back from a Hadrian's Wall Tour on the 1st August. Do you fancy a catch up? Can't stop off on my way up, I'm afraid - have to get to Kielder v. early.

Thanks, Nephele. I try to drop by when I can, but inevitably it's not as often as I would like. I'm back up at Hadrian's Wall in 3 weeks - I'll say hello to the vallum for you (remember that thread?) If the UK 2009 folk are interested, my offer of a weekend tour of Lindum Colonia still stands, by the way. Plenty of Roman stuff to get your teeth into! I might even persuade Suus Intus to come along.